When it comes to pain, there are always 2 ways to help relieve pain: an ice pack or a hot tower. In some ways, cold treatment is a more commonly used solution to numb the nerves so that pain signals cannot temporarily reach the brain.
In the case of gout pain, because the infected area (usually the big toe) is like on fire, most patients submerge the entire foot in a bucket full of frozen ice. That will immediately numb all the nerves in the foot, you can’t even feel the existence of the feet, not to mention the excruciating pain in the swollen toe.
This may seem like a good solution for severe pain, but the fact is that cold treatment will only make the condition worse in the long run. This is a method that kills the symptoms but makes the main cause of gout worse.
Gout is the direct result of the accumulation of too much uric acid in the body and the population of gout patients is growing worldwide at an alarming rate. This is due to our stressful modern lifestyle that is full of acidic habits and diets. Smoking, soda, instant food, synthetic food additives, fast food, are all acidifying agents that actively pump acids into the bloodstream.
Keep in mind that the pH of our blood should always be kept at a mild alkalinity that is at a pH value between 7.3 and 7.4. All that acidic food is turning our blood into an acid dump. To counteract the acidity and restore the alkalinity of the blood, these acids will be expelled from the bloodstream and enter the interstitial fluids and a part of them will leak into the synovial fluids of the joints.
When the uric acid concentration in the synovium exceeds the saturation level, they crystallize and form urate crystals that trigger the immune reaction that results in inflammation, burning sensation and pain – severe pain! Gout attack!
Do you still remember the salt crystal formation experiment during high school science? One of the variables that we must find out is the crystallization rate at different temperatures. The answer is that crystallization occurs faster and larger crystal stones form at lower temperatures. On the contrary, the salt crystals formed will slowly dilute as the temperature rises.
If you want more urate crystals to form in your joints or interstitial fluid in your muscles, continue with your favorite cold ice soak. But if you want to speed up the excretion of urate crystals, soak your feet in the warm water as often as you can, even at times when you are not suffering from a gout attack. The warm water will increase the blood circulation and the excretion of toxins through the moving blood.
